ORIGINAL: TexasOaks
ORIGINAL: Jimmy S
Nice article...I disagree.
I have always been lead to believe that the three major factors that determine antler size is:
Age, Nutrition and Genetics.
The above emphasis Age, Diet and Health.
I read very little about Genetics in this article.
It is Age, Nutrition, and Gentics... the article focuses on age, (diet and nutrition are pretty much the same), and health.Genetics are really hard thing to control and you can control toanmuch greater extent the age, nutrition, and the overall health of your deer than thegenetics of your deer.
This article does not mention what can be controlled, you did.
This info on antlers states:
Factors that Determine Antler Size (listed in order of importance)
Age - age is the primary factor that determines exactly how big antlers will grow. Antler mass and length increases with age until bucks reach 6 to 7 years of age. In bucks 7 years old and older, antlers mass often increases, while overall length of the main beam and tines declining with each consecutive set of antlers.
Diet - nutritional requirements, particularly those for protein, energy, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A & D, must also be met in order for deer to achieve maximum antler growth. Adequate nutrition in the months of February and March is especially important, because deer need to replace body fat and muscle lost during winter before antler growth can reach its potential. Dietary protein and energy restrictions will decrease antler volume, beam diameter, main beam length, and total number of antler points grown. Maximum antler development can occur when dietary calcium and phosphorus concentrations are at least 0.45% and 0.30% (dry matter basis), respectively.
Health (general physical condition, body weight, injury etc.) - body growth and maintenance takes precedence over antler growth. This means that only bucks in good physical condition will reach their full potential of antler growth.
Injury or damage to the pedicle or velvet may result in the injured antler becoming deformed. An injury to the body can also influence antler growth because energy is used to grow or repair muscle or tissue before it is used to grow antler. Sometimes, a severe injury to the body may result in stunted growth or deformity of the antler opposite side of the body that sustained the injury due to a phenomenon known as bilateral or geo-physical asymmetry.
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Genetics is vital to antler growth. If I want to shoot a record book deer, I'm gonna look for areas that hold these kind of deer.
Ihave a better chance of shooting a P&Y or B&C buck in Iowa than is Rhode Island. Why is that?
I still believe this information on antler growth failed to mention, in greater detail, how crucial genetics is in overall antler development.
Just my .02 and TO...Thanks for sharing!
BTW..Where in Texas?